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The Second Conference of Editors and Working Journalists of SAARC countries has called for liberalized visa regime for media professionals to visit each other’s countries.
The two-day Conference held under the aegis of SAARC Secretariat, also emphasized that the development of media in the SAARC countries should be considered as a tool for mutual cooperation towards peace, economic development and removal of poverty and ignorance. To make it possible the SAARC countries should consider reduction in duties on newsprint and printing machinery etc. as also the removal of tariff restrictions on media products.
The Conference also called for preservation and development of a free media including right of healthy dissent within the overall orbit of free speech. It unanimously recommended frequent interaction between the SAARC Conference of Editors and Working Journalists and groups of South Asian journalists working on track-II to chalk out cohesive strategy for the growth of media in the region. It also called for exchange programmes among newspaper organizations of member countries and greater interaction among working journalists.
The Conference also recommended that the newspapers and periodicals of the SAARC countries may take an initiative to provide dedicated space to extend news coverage of the developmental aspects in the SAARC countries. It also deliberated upon a draft proposed by Bangladesh for setting up of a SAARC Media Development Fund and decided to set up an expert group to work out the details and modalities in this regard. It also recommended for setting up of a SAARC Media Training Academy for human resource development in the media related activities as also to encourage cooperation and exchange of information between news agencies of the member countries.
The Conference also deliberated upon the Plan of Action on Information and Media adopted by the SAARC countries in 1998 and felt the need to include some more points of cooperation in this regard. These may include- dedicated space in newspaper/periodicals to cover the SAARC development news regularly, establishing a SAARC Media Training Academy for human resource development; and to encourage cooperation and exchange of information between news agencies of member countries.
The Conference also discussed the inputs to be included in the SAARC common position to be presented in the World Summit on the Information Society scheduled to be held in Tunis in November, 2005. Participants in the Conference expressed the hope that SAARC’s recognition to South Asian Free Media Association (SAFMA) as Regional Media Forum would encourage this body to further promote the SAARC ideals.
The Conference, which concluded on Friday, was attended by the delegates from all the member countries of SAARC viz. Bangladesh, Bhutan, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri-Lanka and India, besides officials from the SAARC secretariat. The leaders of all the delegation presented country papers stating current situation of print and electronic media and highlighted the complexities of the working environment for journalists in their respective countries.
Earlier, the Principal Information Officer and the leader of the Indian delegation, Dr. Shakuntala Mahawal was elected as the Chairperson of the Conference.
The report prepared by the Conference has been sent to the SAARC Secretariat in Kathmandu. It will be taken up for consideration during the forthcoming Conference of the Information Ministers of the SAARC countries for necessary further action.
The next Conference of Editors and Working Journalists of SAARC countries will be held in Maldives in 2005.
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